Evil's Campaign
by Ilovetoread09
Summary: Her face pales as her eyes snap to the television screen. Future fic. Spoilers for Season 6. One-shot


AN: So, here so something I came up with, nothing big. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

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Kate smiles the moment she enters the loft, the sound of soft babbling greeting her. Approaching the source of the sound, Kate extends her arms out and lifts the baby boy out of his play pen.

"Hello my little boy," Kate croons softly. "Did you miss Mommy while she was at work?" The response she receives is a giggle and a tug of hair from her son. "I'll take that as a yes." She looks around the loft, wondering where Rick is. She notices the baby monitor right next to the play pen and hears the sound of water running coming out of it. Ah, he's in the shower.

Kate carries the boy to the couch sitting him on her lap. The boy continues to tug on her hair, which makes Kate smile.

"Why don't we see if there's anything good on TV, huh, Nathaniel?" Kate asks rhetorical, turning on the television. She flips through the channels until she finds a children's movie playing on one of the news channels.

"Oh, look, your favorite movie," she says excitedly. Nathaniel claps and giggles in response. The boy babbles happily in an attempt to sing along with the characters on screen. Kate sings the words softly to him, gently bouncing him up and down on her knee in the process.

Once the commercials come on, Nathaniel calms down a little. He turns his attention to his mother and pats her cheek with one hand. Kate grabs his hand with two fingers, gently shaking it. She kisses him on the top of his head and is about to say something, but the next commercial changes her mood instantly. Her eyes snap to the television screen, her face going slightly pale as she hears the voice over for the commercial.

"I'm Senator William Bracken and I'm running for President of the United States," the voice starts. Kate stares at the television screen, her arms pulling Nathaniel closer to her protectively, as if Bracken would come out of the screen and attack them.

Kate continues to watch the commercial, each mention of an achievement conjures up some brutal, dark memory for her. Memories of her mother in the alley, Raglan landing on the floor of the diner, and Captain Montgomery dying in the hangar. Then of course, she recalls her shooting and closes her eyes tight, her hands shaking a little. She has done plenty of therapy, but the memory still has on strong effect on her occasionally.

Seeming to sense his mother's distress, Nathaniel lets out a small whimper, while a tiny hand gently tugs on Kate's shirt. This seems to break Kate out of her current state and she looks at her son. She gently pulls him close to her face, kissing his forehead.

"I will never let him hurt you," she promises her son, running her fingertips through what little hair he has.

They sit there quietly as the commercial comes to a close, the ending a picture of the senator with an American flag flying in the background.

Quiet footsteps approach them, and Kate feels a weight on the couch as her husband puts an arm around her.

"I see you saw the commercial," he says, staring at their son.

"When did you see it?"

"I saw it this afternoon for the first time while I was eating out with Alexis," he answers. "I don't think I did a very good job of keeping a poker face, since she kicked me under the table." He chuckles bitterly.

"I am a little surprised," she remarks. "I thought he would want everyone taken care of before he campaigned for the presidency." The meaning of her of words are not lost on her husband, who tightens his arm around her and their son protectively.

"Do you ever regret it?" he asks softly.

"Regret what?" she asks, an expression of confusion forms on her face.

"Letting go of the job in DC," he murmurs, "I mean, that really would have helped you catch him."

Kate shrugs a little, trying not to disturb their son's position.

"No," she says, looking up at him. "I don't. I found the job wasn't really for me, it was too impersonal. I belong at the twelfth where I can help people on a more personal level. Also, it kept us closer. I think if I had stayed in DC, we would have had a harder time connecting, especially since we were trying to plan a wedding." She gives him a teasing grin. Her face turns serious again. "But, no, no regrets. I am perfectly happy where I am."

"Did you ever consider..." Rick's voice trails off, the unfinished question hanging in the air.

Kate nods. "At one point, yes. I had considered going after him, but then I got pregnant." She stares at their son, little blue eyes staring back at her in wonderment. "I knew I couldn't risk it. However, maybe someday, if he loses the election, I might go after him. But for now, I want to maintain the uneasy pact we have, and keep my family safe."

Kate sighs as she recalls what Rick had done in his last Nikki Heat book. He had killed the off the character who had orchestrated the death of Nikki's mother. He had told her it was a form of therapy for himself and a little bit of a wedding present for her, even if it was fictional.

"So, what do we do now?" he asks her, playing with the ends of her brown locks. Nathaniel fidgets in Kate's lap, and Rick smiles, picking up his son and holding him.

"The only thing we can do," she says dryly. "Vote for the other guy."

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AN: There you go. Like I said, just a small thing that popped into my head. This is my first time writing in present tense. I will update my other stories soon. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.


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